The state of Arizona is often considered to be one of the best in the country. With the nickname of the “Grand Canyon State,” many visitors flock every year to this internationally known landmark. The Grand Canyon was made many centuries ago by the Colorado River as it wound its way through the rocks, creating deep gorges over the long period of time. At the widest point of the Grand Canyon, it measures an astonishing 18 miles across. In addition to the Grand Canyon, the state of Arizona has many other attractions that can draw visitors on a vacation.

The Grand Canyon may be the most famous natural state park, but there are several others that boast a wide variety of landscapes. The Tonto National Forest and the Prescott National Forest are two examples of places where people can enjoy a variety of activities, including hiking, camping, bird observation, and fishing expeditions. A visit to the parks can be both educational and entertaining as much can be learned from the forests of Arizona. However, these natural parks are not the only destination in the state for a vacation.

If the Grand Canyon is Arizona’s most well known landmark, then the Painted Desert is the second most important. The name is the perfect description of the landscape as it is indeed a desert and does appear to be painted. Because of earthquakes in the region and prehistoric volcanic eruptions, the sunlight has changed the natural colors of the sands and rocks. Instead of being a monotone beige, the Painted Forest has a wide range of colors, including pink, gray, lavender, and orange.

In the same area as the Painted Desert is another oddity. With a location just slightly east of the city of Winslow, the Petrified Forest was thought to be created many millions of years ago. It was thought to be a forest abundant with life, but a large series of volcanic eruptions quickly destroyed al the plant life that was present in the forest. In the burning process, the trees became petrified, meaning that they turned to stone. Many visitors keep these stone trees as souvenirs from their trip.

While natural parks and sights can be quite fun, sometimes a person wants to see something a little different. In Arizona, this definitely means a trip to the London Bridge. As the name would imply, this was indeed a bridge in the city of London, England. It’s original location was crossing the river Thames in the UK and it was moved piece by piece to a buyer in Lake Havasu City. Many experts are amazed that the same exact construction could be done and that such a large part of the bridge survived the journey from the UK to the United States.